CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Journalism that is conducted by people who are not professional

journalists but who disseminate information using Web sites, blogs,

and social media.

Citizen journalism has expanded its worldwide influence despite

continuing concerns over whether citizen journalists are as reliable

as trained professionals. Citizens in disaster zones have provided

instant text and visual reporting from the scene. People in countries

affected by political upheaval and often in countries where print and

broadcast media are controlled by the government have used a

variety of technological tools to share information about hot spots.

Swirling in the background of these developments was a debate over

whether the term citizen journalism was itself accurate.

MAJOR CHALLENGES BEFORE CITIZEN

JOURNALISM

1. Ethical challenge-Of course, there are vast amounts of garbage

out there but it tends not to be so influential as the genuine stuff.

There have been far more durable myths, mistakes, and untruths

promulgated by professional journalists around the world – driven

by incompetence, commercialism, or censorship of more direct

kinds – than by the amateur. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t

think hard about the ethics around this. Citizen journalism can

distort agendas, too. For example, the intensive reporting of the

Asian Boxing Day tsunami by Western tourists gave that disaster

much greater prominence in the world than comparable disasters

where western tourists were not there with their camera phones

and video cameras and anyone who puts their own safety on the

line in the name of free expression has my respect.

2. LEGAL CHALLENGE-Professional journalists must abide by a set

of strict laws when reporting as to be careful not to write false

news and expose anybody in a damaging way. Sometimes, a story

generated by an ordinary member of the public can be difficult to

consider professional or validated.

Participatory journalism, however, encourages the

expression of

opinion and doesn’t feel the need to be objective, potentially

making reports inaccurate and unreliable. Defamation and libel is

an issue that occurs when someone publishes a piece of news at

the expense of somebody else, i.e. by speaking of them in a way

that could affect their reputation. Journalists are trained to

understand this libel law and know what they can or can’t say.